John Bolton says he is ‘extraordinarily distraught’ by Trump’s impeachment

Former national security adviser John Bolton criticized the charges brought against his former boss, former President Trump, on Tuesday, saying the prosecution was “even weaker than he feared it would be.”

“Speaking as someone who does not want Donald Trump to win the Republican presidential nomination, I am extraordinarily distraught over this document,” Bolton said on CNN. “I think this is even weaker than I feared it would be.”

Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019 before emerging as a vocal critic of the former president, criticized charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Tuesday after Trump appeared before the court for his arraignment. The former president was charged with 34 felonies, including falsifying business records.

The case brought in the New York indictment against Trump details an alleged scheme devised by the former president, his lawyer, and the parent company of the National Enquirer tabloid to pay off and kill stories that could have been damaging to then-candidate Trump ahead of the election in 2016.

But Bolton said the charge was weak and argued that it would be subject to dismissal.

“I think he is easily subject to being quickly dismissed or cleared for Trump,” Bolton said.

The argument that the case Bragg is building is weak is one that Trump also spun after leaving Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday, saying on his Truth Social platform that “the hearing was shocking to many because they had no ‘surprises.’ and therefore there is no case.”

Other top Republican lawmakers, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.), publicly criticized Trump’s impeachment Tuesday.

Bolton fell out with Trump after leaving his administration, particularly taking issue with the former president’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Bolton has said he is considering a bid of his own for the White House in 2024.

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